by Reemus Fernando

Continued from yesterday

Education and sports

Apart from Sports Schools (23) there are hundreds of other schools producing sportsmen and women to national level. For example there are 635 cricket playing (active) schools around the country. Of them 120 schools play cricket at Under-19 level where a vast majority of players are advanced level students. Cricket officials take an effort to get their players pass the O/L examination to retain them for the Under-19 team. But that interest is suddenly lost when the player enters A/L classes because ‘they are there to play cricket not to learn’. Many scholar athletes give up on education after passing the O/L exam. “That is not because they are weak students. But because they are not told about the importance of education,” says a former schools cricketer.

Over 50 first class cricketers lost their jobs at leading Companies (playing Mercantile Cricket) recently in the aftermath of the Covid 19 forced lock down because “they were there just to play cricket.” However some of these companies have not terminated the contracts of cricketers who also work in other departments while also making their cricket teams.

When the England Youth cricket team toured Sri Lanka in 2011 their back up staff had teachers to look after the education of players. Players who were not involved in matches were seen taking tuition in an area adjacent to the press box during their match at the Galle Stadium.

When Sri Lanka Cricket select a Youth team it is compulsory for them to accompany a schools representative appointed by the ministry of education. His duty is to represent the Education Ministry and is in charge of the players during the tour but has no ‘duty with regard to their education.’

When Sports Schools were started ‘teachers were assigned to work with scholar athletes who miss lessons due to training or competitions.’ Those teachers were paid extra for the tuition classes they conducted.’ That is hardly practiced at Sports Schools at present. Several International Schools which took sports seriously during the last two decades are doing a better job in this regard.

Hostels or stadiums

At schools level a hostel is as important as the stadium and other sports equipment to an athlete. The hostel facilities of Sports Schools are in almost dilapidated condition. A student obtaining sports scholarships should feel at home at hostels if he or she is to persevere in sports. The dormitory facilities of almost all Sports Schools need more room and speedy renovation.

It is incumbent upon Sports Ministry and the Ministry of Education to give serious thought to these considerations among other things and consult relevant officials who could provide inputs into making Sports Schools the nurseries of country’s future sportsmen and women.

Concluded.